No Jail Time for Serial Cat Killer/Torturer in NY

Cat murderer Sean Lynde, 37, who had been charged in the deaths of five of his girlfriend's cats (and is presumed to be responsible for the disappearance of a sixth), entered a plea deal which requires that he attend weeky psychotherapy sessions for a year and stay away from his ex-girlfriend and her dog. He will get no jail time for his heinous acts.

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Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus (mobus@courts.state.ny.us) signed off on the plea, in which Lynde admitted to killing one of the cats and to violating a court order by harassing his girlfriend online, but said he wasn't happy with the agreement.

"I'm concerned about it, because of the conduct not only towards animals, but towards his ex," Rachael Strate, who was the cats' owner, Obus said.

He added that he was only signing off on the agreement because prosecutors said Strate was "fully on board" with the deal, which spares her from having to testify about her heartbreak in court.

"If not for her desires, this would be hard to accept," Obus said, adding that he and prosecutors would be keeping a close eye on Lynde, and that if he violated the terms of the agreement or gets into any trouble with the law, he could end up in prison for up two years.

"It's very much in your interest to make sure this works out," Obus told the cat killer.

Lynde's murderous spree began in October 2008, just three days after he moved in to Strate's West Side apartment. He pleaded guilty to killing Bonafide, and to a charge of criminal contempt for violating a court order to stay away from Strate. He'd posted a picture of her on Craigslist along with an ad soliciting sex.